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how long/far can a car drive on a full charge of battery

L

LS20

Banned
so my alternators dead, my battery is 2 months old but its the cheapest one autozone had, friend has an electric charger, and i plan to charge it up, drive it 200 miles home over spring break so pops and i can replace the alternator

i plan on driving on the day so no headlights will be needed.. its not hot enough for AC.. and there is no stereo because my stereo got stolen


do you think the battery will last for the trip? i dont want to be stranded

the car is a 1993 nissan sentra .. i dont plan to speed so hopefully the ignition system wont hog that much juice ?
 
Originally posted by: ThisIsMatt
Disconnect your brake lights to be on the safe side!
Click to expand...

ive been in more dangerous situations

try having your car stuck on the interstate, in the middle of the lane because there are no shoulder on the peak of a bridge, there are no lights at that particular stretch, and there is not enough battery for the emergency lights to flash to top it off... my friends and i had to stand on the 2' of shoulder there was on the other side of the guardrail and try to wave people out of the lane
 
go to Advance auto parts,ask if they can help you change the altenator,
most of the counter guys are nice, and would prob do it for $20 on the side..

the alt is from $125 to $161
here is online


Advance Auto Parts
512-837-9991 9316 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78753-4104 Newspaper Ad
3 SW
Advance Auto Parts
512-451-0151 2209 W. Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78757-1223 Newspaper Ad
4 S
Advance Auto Parts
512-459-8731 5339 North I. H. 35
Austin, TX 78723-2428 Newspaper Ad
8 S
Advance Auto Parts
512-478-7284 2730 E. 7th St.
Austin, TX 78702-3908 Newspaper Ad
9 N
Advance Auto Parts
512-733-9660 751 South Mays Street
Round Rock, TX 78664-5939 Newspaper Ad
14 SW
Advance Auto Parts
512-326-1166 600 E. William Cannon Dr
Austin, TX 78745-5734
 
200 miles? Approx 3 hours?.....Jeez.....Well, I really couldnt say on that, but it would be pushin it I'm sure.

But, with a full chrage, and running NOTHING else (no lights, no radio, i mean NO lights, no turn signels, brake lights nothing...) I THINK you would make it.
But I sure as hell wouldnt try it.

Alternator replacement is really a pretty easy thing. The biggest PITA is the damnedable serpentine belt. Putting that back on can range from easy to downright nasty, depending on how it is and if you have the right tools for the job.
 
Depends on:

* Battery condition / age

* Accessories that you are using (especially lights / motors)

* The number of times you turn off and on the car ( the starter pulls a lot of juice)

So basically hard to tell.
 
Originally posted by: cavemanmoron
go to Advance auto parts,ask if they can help you change the altenator,
most of the counter guys are nice, and would prob do it for $20 on the side..

the alt is from $125 to $161
here is online
Click to expand...

i only wish it were that easy 🙁

i can get a rebuilt (with a 2 year warranty) from O'Reillys for 75$. But for the labor i've been quoted from 125 to 200$ for it. Chiefly because of the difficult location of the alternator (mines a 2.0L stuffed in bay for 1.6L engine) =[
 
Depends on:

* Battery condition / age

* Accessories that you are using (especially lights / motors)

* The number of times you turn off and on the car ( the starter pulls a lot of juice)

So basically hard to tell.
Click to expand...

Also the number of cylinders, if you have a electronicaly controlled transmission, a electrically operated cooling fan, digital dashboard etc.

Don't make any bets that you will make it.

Let me reiterate, 200 miles ? No way.
You will be lucky if you make it 50 miles.
 
the guy at the auto shop (who determined that it was the alternator that gave me drama last week) said a full charge would probably last 2 days given i do not operate lights/ac/etc.... i hear usually when alternator fails the car is still good for a few days

i really need to get home,and get the car home by friday
 
Man, those autozone guys said my alternator was bad, and then I just bought a new battery for $60 and it's been running fine for 2 years now...

Go figure
rolleye.gif
 
If you are going to try this, I strongly suggest charging the battery overnight, then with the charger still running, start the vehicle and let it warm up, when you are ready to leave, disconnect the charger and go.
(Bring the charger with you)

May I ask, why are you not replacing it yourself ?
Go out and purchase a Haynes repair manual, you can do it 🙂
 
See if you can find someone making the same trip home and have them follow you. Have a set of jumper cables to recharge your battery.

I don't think you will make it on a single charge.
 
Personally... I'd only try if I had the comfort of AAA to back me up. I wouldn't even attempt it otherwise.
 
Once my battery light came on in my 95 Saturn SW2, I turned off everything and rolled down the windows. I only made about 55 miles before the battery was totally dead. The light came on at around 11 volts I believe, and the system was down to 4 volts when it finally quit. I'd have someone make the trip with you with a set of jumper cables so you can charge your battery when it runs down.
 
Originally posted by: Roger
If you are going to try this, I strongly suggest charging the battery overnight, then with the charger still running, start the vehicle and let it warm up, when you are ready to leave, disconnect the charger and go.
(Bring the charger with you)

May I ask, why are you not replacing it yourself ?
Go out and purchase a Haynes repair manual, you can do it 🙂
Click to expand...

i have no tools, no time, and, most importantly, am mechanically inept 😱 😀

Originally posted by: etech
See if you can find someone making the same trip home and have them follow you. Have a set of jumper cables to recharge your battery.

I don't think you will make it on a single charge.
Click to expand...

I originally was supposed to caravan with my friend, but he has work on that day, and i have to go home on that very day because i have a family function that i cant miss. besides, his car is a POS old SAAB 900 thats dying... last time he hooked his car up to mine for 5 minutes, and that wasnt even enough for me to start my engine :x
 
Quite a while.. my friend went a few days once (short stints) before he replaced his battery.. if you don't use the stereo or ANTHING inside the car, it can go for a while!
 
my wife's car had a dead alternator, we drove it for a couple hundered km's, just couldn't start it again at the gas station. You'll be fine.
 
Don't use lights/accessories, and you might make it.

Is it manual or automatic transmission?
 
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